A judge has thrown out reckless endangerment charges against an upstate New York man accused of causing a house explosion that killed six people last year.

The Times Union of Albany reports that a Washington County judge's ruling criticized the way prosecutors characterized 34-year-old Steven McComsey during their presentation to a grand jury earlier this year. The judge let stand six manslaughter charges against McComsey.

Investigators say he tampered with a propane gas line, leading to the explosion in July 2011 that killed six people in his home in Salem. The victims included McComsey's girlfriend, the girlfriend's son and 2-month-old granddaughter, the baby's father and McComsey's nephew.

Investigators said a spark from a water pump switch ignited propane that had leaked and accumulated in the cellar.